Arrec Mallister
Lord Arrec Mallister is a character in Book 1 and 2. He is the head of House Mallister, Lord of Seagard and one of the younger lords of the Riverlands. Since he has benefits from the Ironborn rule, with his harbour at Seagard being the main port for the Iron Fleet, he is also among the few who are not completely opposed to the rule of House Hoare. Backstory Arrec was born as the older of two brothers, being the older brother of Harwyn Mallister. Growing up in Seagard, he was introduced to the Ironborn and their occupation of the Riverlands from early childhood, yet unlike most, he saw the benefits the large empire brought, if only for his own lands, given that the Iron Fleet was located at Seagard. After his father's early death to an illness, Arrec ascended to lordhood and despite his young age, he soon proved himself to be a ruthless politician, advancing the prestige of his house without compromises. A favourable marriage with Dacey Wayn opened new doors for him to get involved with the other houses in the Riverlands, many of which were hoping to use him to their advantage, due to his closeness to both, Riverlords and Ironborn. His marriage with Dacey was not a happy one, nor particularly fruitful. She gave birth to one daughter, inheriting her sickly health, before passing away hours later. The girl, Elaena, was going to be Arrec's only child, though he eventually decided to remarry after an appropriate mourning period, keeping an eye on several unmarried noblewomen in the Riverlands. Over the years, Arrec's influence only grew. The young Lord of Seagard became a name to count on, with contacts to both sides of the kingdom. While not personally happy about the Ironborn rule, he accepted it and rarely spoke out against them, even if, deep down, he was looking for ways to ensure that Seagard would remain safe despite their closeness to the Iron Fleet. Through careful alliances, he managed to secure a marriage pact with the powerful House Piper, with Hilbert Piper, eldest son of Lord Elmont Piper, supposed to marry Elaena once she would come off age. Through Elmont's sympathies for the growing Riverlands rebellion, Arrec learned of Edmyn Tully's goals and to everyone's surprise, he decided to support them. Book 1 The Iron Price Arrec is first seen during a meeting with Edmyn Tully, Petyr Blackwood, Tytos Bracken and Brandon Frey. There, Garthon Breaker presents the gathered Riverlords, all high-ranked in the conspiracy, the tools he had acquired to assassinate Harren Hoare. In secret however, Arrec had already grown disillusioned with the Riverlords for their bickering, considering their rebellion to be doomed to fail, or to make room only for a worse tyrant, or for a civil war at worst. Unwilling to further support them, he secretly contacted his king and sold the other Riverlords out, a move that ended up saving Harren's life. Book 2 Fires Far A few months later, the problems of this action had become obvious though. Arrec has turned into an outcast among his people, with few Riverlords holding any sort of contact with him. Elmont Piper called off the marriage contract between his son and Elaena, depriving Arrec of even the last ally he considered to be on his side. In his despair, he called out for the man he supported more than any other Riverlord. Harren Hoare receives him and Elaena in Harrenhal, where the two men quickly agree that a permanent union between Riverlanders and Ironborn was in order. As such, Elaena was forcibly betrothed to Harmund Hoare, the king's infamous and feared eldest son, something neither side of the soon-to-be married couple was actually happy with. Throughout this process, Arrec shows no sympathy for his daughter's plight, despite her being absolutely terrified. This earns him the disgust of Kyra Greyjoy and Gravven Drumm, who look on as assigned guards. Kyra even contemplates to intervene on Elaena's behalf. In the end, Arrec gets what he wants, albeit Harrick Hoare ends up punching him in the face for his behaviour. Thorns Arrec is present during the wedding ceremony between Elaena and Harmund. He undertakes some half-hearted attempts to cheer up his otherwise completely distraught daughter, which she obviously isn't buying at all. Arrec however is in high spirits, as he has secured a powerful ally for his house, likely gaining protection from the other Riverlander houses. Appearance Physically, Arrec is an unremarkable man. He has light blonde hair and brown eyes, as well as plain features which don't really say much about him. Looking unassuming and unthreatening, he uses these deceiving looks to his advantage. He is cla in purple and silver mostly, the colours of his house, and likes to show off his wealth with his attire. Personality Affable, calm and utterly ruthless, those are the traits that describe Arrec Mallister the best. A social climber without any shame, he always looks for a way to increase the fortunes of himself and his house through his actions and every single of his actions is carefully weighed for its benefits and drawbacks. Though seemingly friendly, he has made it clear that there are few people he genuinely cares about, perhaps none beyond himself, and while his actions aim at strengthening House Mallister, he is not afraid to sacrifice members of his house to achieve this. Though he can be prideful, his behaviour towards higher-ups, such as his king, is also very submissive, as he is not ashamed of degrading himself to appear loyal and more harmless than he truly is. Behind this facade lies a cunning mind though and Arrec is constantly thinking of new ways to increase his power. Relationships Elaena Mallister As his only child, one could assume that Arrec loves Elaena and vice versa. In fact, she probably genuinely worships her father even after what he did to marry her to Harmund Hoare. However, from Arrec's side, there is little genuine about their relationship. He sees her as little more than another tool to further his agenda and though he cares enough about her to at least do some superficial effort to make her feel better, it ultimately isn't enough to give him legitimate concerns about her well-being. It is also implied that he can get downright emotionally abusive if the girl does not follow his orders. Edmyn Tully While Edmyn and Arrec used to be allies who genuinely respected each other, little of this has remained after Arrec's betrayal of the other Riverlords. Even back then, the two weren't exactly friends, with Edmyn never fully trusting the Lord of Seagard. He was proven right when Arrec turned on them. Nowadays, he is among the fiercest of Arrec's opponents, possibly including the whole of House Mallister among his enemies. Harren Hoare Arrec has a complicated relationship with his liege. On the one hand, he can understand the rebellion against him, even supported them for some time. On the other hand though, he respects Harren for his strength and is one of the few Riverlords who actually gained power through the Ironborn rule, with Seagard turning from the first line of defense against raiding Ironborn to one of the most important ports in the Sunset Sea, rich through trading and hosting the Iron Fleet. This, paired with Arrec's nature of a social climber, has convinced him that Harren's rule is for the best of the Riverlands and as such, he supports him even though he likely holds no personal fondness for the man. Appearances Category:Characters Category:Book 1 Characters Category:Book 2 Characters Category:House Mallister Category:Riverlanders Category:Highborn Category:Lords